Process for collecting and storing fresh water in earth

ABSTRACT

A thin water impermeable barrier is established in water permeable earth adjacent to the shore of a body of salt water and extended downward from the level of the high point of salt water intrusion into the water permeable earth to a nonwater-permeable earth layer. The barrier is extended laterally along the shore and upland from the shore to points where the nonwater-permeable earth layer is as high as said level, thus isolating an area of water permeable earth from the body of salt water. The salt water thus trapped in the water permeable earth is then extracted from the isolated water permeable earth by transferring it from the bottom part of the water permeable earth to the other side of the barrier. Fresh water is then stored in the isolated water permeable earth, thus establishing an available reservoir of fresh water. The barrier is formed and maintained by continuously circulating refrigerant downwardly from the level of the high point of salt water intrusion through a row of closely spaced holes to the nonwater-permeable earth layer. The heat extracted from the earth in forming and maintaining the barrier is employed to evaporate water from the salt water adjacent to the barrier and return the fresh water thus recovered to the reservoir.

United States Patent Kopp, Jr.

Feb. 8, 1972 [72] Inventor: Adolph Kopp, Jr., PO. Box 137, Swan Lake,Mont. 59911 [22] Filed: Oct. 24,1969

[21] Appl.No.: 871,417

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.560,921, June 23,

[52 U.S.Cl. 61/111- [51] Int. ..E02b3/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..6l/.5',l,11,36, 36 A; 62/260; 165/45; 202/235; 203/10, 11, 26

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,441 12/1908 Baur..6l/36A 1,878,295 9/1932 Richmond, ....6l/10 3,221,505 12/1965 Goodwinet a1... ....6l/36 3,234,109 2/1966 Lustenader ..203/11 3,248,305 4/1966Williamson... .....203/l1 X 3,299,651 'l/1967 McGrath ..203/11 X3,300,984 'l/l967 Armentrout.. ..61/1 3,323,309 6/1967 Dobell ..61/11PROCESS FOR COLLECTING AND STORING FRESH WATER IN EARTH 3,354,65611/1967 Fahnestuck .j. ..6l/.5 X

Primary ExaminerPe ter M. Caun Attorney-Wells, St. John & Roberts [57]ABSTRACT I A thin water impermeable barrier is established in waterpermeable earth adjacent to the shore of a body of salt water andextended downward from the level of the high point of salt waterintrusion into the water permeable earth to a nonwaterpermeable earthlayer. The barrier is extended laterally along the shore and upland fromthe shore to points where the nonwater-permeable earth layer is as highas said level, thus isolating an area of water permeable earth from thebody of salt water. The salt water thustrapped in the water permeableearth is then extracted from the isolated water permeable earth bytransferring it from the bottom part of the water permeable earth to theother side of the barrier. Fresh water is then stored in the isolatedwater permeable earth, thus establishing an available reservoir of freshwater. The barrier is formed and maintained by continuously circulatingrefrigerant downwardly from the level of the high point of salt waterintrusion through a row of closely spaced holes to thenonwater-permeable earth layer. The heat extracted from the earth informing and maintaining the barrier is employed to evaporate water fromthe salt water adjacent to the barrier and return the fresh water thusrecovered to the reservoir.

6 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures SHEET 2 OF 4 7 y 6 6 I 7 2 2 8 7 2 Z 6 E R UG H PATENTED FEB 8 I872 FIG UR E 5 Q hhlllilllu'lillllllllhi FIGURE 7PATENTED FEB 8:972 40,07

mm 3 or '4 INVENTOR. Adolph K0,) Jn

WWW ma am A-Hys PROCESS FOR COLLECTING AND STORING FRESH WATERIN EARTHBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation in partof my application Ser. No. 560,921, filed June 23, 1966, for processesfor creating fresh water reservoirs, etc.

It is well known that water filled, water permeable earth may be madeinto a water impervious wall by freezing a narrow thickness thereof tothe vertical depth desired. The Chapin Shaft at Iron Mountain, Mich.,was sunk some 95 feet in l88889 using a circular row of holes to definea circle of some 29 feet diameter and freezing water in the holes to thedesired depth by circulating expanding ammonia downward to the desireddepth. Various methods have been suggested as a means of establishingbarriers in water permeable earth. More modern examples of such methodsare found in the Dobell U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,309 where an area isenclosed by vertical walls over a salt water filled earth and freshwater is floated within the walls on top of the salt water in the samebasic manner as the fresh water supply in parts of the state of Hawaiiis held. The Goodwin U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,505 illustrates another mannerof establishing an underground barrier. The concept of tapping anunderground water permeable layer to recover water therein which islocked in by water impervious layers above and below is shown in the oldRichmond U.S. Pat. No. 1,878,295.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION It is the purpose of the present invention toprovide a process by which areas adjacent to bodies of salt water, whichareas are at present essentially short of fresh water supply, can beprovided with fresh water reservoirs within the earth of such areas, andthe reservoirs may be kept reasonably safe from destruction by earthtremors, enemy bombings and the like.

More specifically it is a purpose of this invention to provide a processwhereby water permeable earth adjacent to bodies of salt water, and nowgenerally so filled with the infiltrated salt water as to preclude anyunderground storage of fresh water, is isolated and emptied of saltwater and then used for renewable fresh water storage out of contactwith the salt water. There are many areas adjacent the shores of ourland and adjacent to large centers of population where the present watersupply to the people is from, surface reservoirs some distance away andis readily subject to interruption and destruction by enemy attack andby earth tremors. The process hereinafter explained provides a way toassure capture of more of the available water before it is mingled withsalt water and lost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of aportion of the water impermeable barrier;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the barrier taken on the line 2- 2 of Fig.1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a modified barrier forming system;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view through a shore line area at theedge of a body of salt water amenable to carrying out my process;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the area shown in Fig. 5;

1 FIG. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the area of Fig. 5converted by my process into a storage reservoir for fresh water;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the utilization of heatextraction to provide and maintain a frozen barrier with condensation ofthe refrigerant by use of the body of salt water as a coolant;

FIG. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional view showing the utilizationof the heat extracted from the barrier to extract water vapor from thesea water and return it condensed to the fresh water reservoir.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION In carrying out the purpose of my invention asstated hereinbefore, it is necessary to locate a land area adjacent tothe shore of a body of salt water such as an ocean shore area where thewater permeable earth in such area has the necessary extent andpermeability to carry a sufficient quantity of fresh water as areservoir. Having located such an area infiltrated with salt water thelocation of an impervious earth floor under the water permeable areamust be determined. Also the lateral and upland extent of theinfiltrated water permeable earth must be outlined. Areas of variousextent are known where the impervious floor and the overlying waterpermeable earth exists in a valley such that the necessary barrier canbe relatively short.

Referring now to Figs. 5-7 inclusive an area is shown wherein the waterimpervious floor is indicated at 10. Overlying this base there is asubstantial layer 1 l of water permeable earth made up largely of sandand gravel washed down from upland and extending out into the body 12 ofsalt water. Looking at the section view of Fig. 5 the infiltration ofsalt water inland of the shore line 13 is indicated at 14. The waterpenneable 'earth inland from the shore line 13 also is saturated withfresh water in the area 15. The line 17 indicates the natural line ofdemarcation between the lighter fresh water and the heavier salt water.The line 18 indicates the top surface of the water permeable earth 11.It is well known that the weight of the fresh water does push out thesalt water and create the condition shown in Fig. 5. The U.S. Pat. toDobell, No. 3,323,309, referred to hereinbefore on page I, has a ratherfull description of this action. It is also discussed in a publicationentitled-Water-The Yearbook of Agriculture 1955.-

Applicantsunderstanding is that, when the level of the top of freshwater in the water permeable earth is kept enough higher than the levelof the top surface of the adjacent body of saline water to overcome thedifference in specific gravity between the saline water and the freshwater, the interface between the fresh water and the saline water isdepressed. Uniform recharge of fresh water from the inland watershedexerts a force against the salt water and creates the condition shown inFig. 5. This known phenomenon is not claimed as any invention ofapplicant. It is also well known that along the meeting line 17 there isconsiderable intenningling and considerable shifting of the line as theopposing pressures between the salt water and fresh water vary inresponse to natural events such as rise and fall of the salt water leveldue to tides and storms and the rise and fall in infeed of fresh waterdue to dry and wet conditions upland.

According to the present method a water impervious barrier 20 isprovided adjacent to the shore line l3beginning at a height above thenormal shore line equal to the high level of salt water intrusion overthe water permeable earth layer 11. This barrier is extended down to thewater impervious floor 10. The barrier 20 is extended along the shoreand inland as far as is necessary to isolate the area of the layer 11 tobe used for storage of fresh water from the intruding salt water. Assoon as the barrier 20 is established, the salt water, inland from thebarrier, is extracted by pumping it across the barrier into the body 120f salt water. Preferably this extraction is done from near the bottomof the water permeable earth layer 11 and adjacent to the barrier 20. Bydoing this the pressure of the fresh water is used to push the saltwater toward the barrier thus reducing the area 14 to substantiallyzero.

Assuming that the supply of fresh water from upland is adequatetoreplace the salt water removed a reservoir, indicated at 15a in Fig.7, of fresh water can be accumulated on the shoreward side of thebarrier 20 with substantially little water pressure differential betweenthetwo sides of the barrier Any suitable known method of making thebarrier 20 might be used. However, for certain advantages which willlater appear, the process of forming and maintaining the barrier 20about to be described is preferred. This process embodies utilizing aseries of closely spaced holes 1 in the water permeable earth throughoutthe length of the barrier. These holes are extended down into the waterimpervious floor l and filled with a low freezing point liquid.Refrigerating tubing 2 is looped down through the holes 1 and suppliedwith refrigerant gas from any suitable source such as the feed line 4.Fig. 2 is a front sectional view of a portion of a drilled zone showingrefrigeration tubing. The feed lines 3 and 4 from a refrigeration unit(not shown) are shown connected in series with U- shaped tubing 2 forcirculating cold refrigerants through the series of holes in the drilledzone. During the freezing point liquid, or other materials to promoterapid heat transfer between the tubing and the drilled zone.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a drilled zone showing parallelhookup of U-shaped tubing. A pressure difference maintained betweenrefrigeration unit feed and return lines 5 (with or without individualflow adjustment at each U-shaped tube) may be used to control the flowof refrigerants through the zone to be frozen.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view across a portion of the drilled zone whereparallel connections of the U-shaped refrigeration tubes have beeninstalled. This view shows U-shaped tube 2 connected to largerrefrigeration feed and return lines 5.

In making the holes and initiating the formation of the barrier 20,known methods of drilling the holes 1 can be employed.

Usually the water permeable earth layer 11 is of such nature refrigeranttubing 2. Once the holes 1 are provided in a portion of the barrier areathe refrigeration can begin and it is carried on until the water betweenholes 1 and on both sides of the holes becomes frozen. When the water isfrozen a barrier 20 is formed between the salt water body 12 and theinland area. Then the salt water inland of the barrier 20 is removed anddischarged into the salt water body 12 until fresh water occupies all ofthe inland area 15.

In order to maintain a frozen barrier 20 it is essential, of course, tocontinue the circulation of the refrigerant in the holes 1 to maintainthe barrier. Great strength is not necessary in such a barrier, however,because nonnally there is little pressure differential across thebarrier. The barrier 20 thus can be much less massive than the aboveground dams now provided for fresh water reservoirs of substantialdepth. The frozen water barrier 20 naturally is lighter than theadjacent liquid on both sides since the specific gravity of ice issomewhat less than that of liquid water. However, the weight of thesolidsin the water permeable earth is such that the imprisoned earthparticles in the ice is sufficient to overcome any tendency of thebarrier 20 to rise.

This process of forming and maintaining the barrier 20 has a greatadvantage in that it is self-sealing if it is cracked by any suddenforce such as an earth tremor. Even if the barrier 20 is crackedsufficiently to cause some mixing, across the barrier, of salt waterwith the fresh water, the salt water entering the inland fresh waterreservoir may be removed in the same manner that the salt wateroriginally inland of the barrier is removed, that is, by pumping it out.

the expanded refrigerant gas from the exhaust line 26 for the tubing 2and the condenser delivers its condensed refrigerant to the supply line25. The compressor 28 must also be cooled to maintain its efficiencyand, according to the preferred process, the cooling of the compressoris done by salt water taken from the salt water body. The heat extractedfrom the refrigerant is thus made to raise the temperature of asubstantial amount of salt water so that a considerable amount of watervapor can be taken from the salt water with very little or no additionalheat. The water vapor is condensed in a vapor or .steam condensing unit29 and delivered by a conduit 30 to the fresh water side of the barrier20. The use of the salt water for cooling the compressor and condensingthe compressed refrigerant gas isthus made to reduce the cost ofobtaining fresh water from salt water. The heated salt water can be sentto an evaporating unit separately heated thus avoiding the cost ofbringing the salt water from normal atmospheric temperature upward tothe temperature it acquires from the condenser 27 and compressor 28.This process is, however, complete upon capturing the water vapor fromthe coolant salt water used by the condenser and the compressor.

The present invention is applicable even where part of the waterpermeable earth area is below the level of the salt water body and maybe covered by apool of fresh water when the maximum storage capacitypermitted by the barrier 20 is utilized. The invention is applicablealso where the water permeable earth layer is all or in part covered bya water impervious layer of earth. Such a condition is found where lavaflow has covered a water permeable layer that existed prior to the lavaflow.

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

. l. A process of restoring fresh water in water permeable earthadjacent to a body of salt water which comprises:

a. establishing and maintaining a thin water impermeable barrier in theearth downward from the level of the high point of salt water intrusionover the permeable earth to a non-water-permeable earth layer andlaterally along the shore and upland from the shore to points where thenonwater-permeable earth layer is as high as the said level; extractingthe saline water from the bottom portion of the permeable earth on theland side of said barrier and discharging the extracted saline water tothe salt water body side of the barrier;

c. supplying fresh water to the permeable earth from which the salinewater is extracted thus replacing the saline water in the permeableearth with fresh water until the area occupied by the saline watershoreward from said barrier is filled with fresh water.

2. The process defined in claim 1 wherein the. barrier is formed andmaintained by continuously circulating refrigerant downwardly from theaforesaid level through the water permeable earth through a row ofclosely spaced holes to the non-water-permeable earth layer and loweringthe temperature of the permeable earth between the holes and around themsufficiently to freeze the water in the adjacent permeable earth andkeep it frozen.

3. The process defined in claim 1 wherein the earth on the land side ofsaid barrier is raised above the top of the barrier to reduce the lossof fresh water by evaporation.

4. A process of collecting and storing fresh water in a water permeableearth layer which is naturally subjected to intrusion of salt water froman adjacent body of salt water and which layer is underlaid by anon-water-permeable permeable floor comprising;

a. establishing by freezing in situ a thin water impermeable barrier inthe earth layer that is filled with the salt water,

extending said barrier downward from the level of the high point of saltwater intrusion to the non-water-permeable floor;

b. maintaining said barrier in frozen condition by continued extractionof heat therefrom;

c. extracting the salt water from the water permeable earth layer on thelnlnml ulrle of the barrier and discharging ll lntn the body of ml!water;

d. supplying to the layer of water permeable earth adequate fresh waterto replace the salt water withdrawn therefrom; and

e. transferring the heat extracted from said barrier to salt waterwithdrawn from said body, vaporizing water from the withdrawn salt waterand condensing the water vapor apart from the salt water to thus enhancethe available fresh water.

5. The process defined in claim 4 wherein the heat extracted from thebarrier is supplemented by heat generated in com- Page I of 2 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE @F CORRECTIQN Patent No. 5s s DatedFebruary 11972 Inventor(s) Adolph Kipp, JIo

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent andthat said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Figures 5, and 7 should read as shown on the attached sheeto Column 3,line 15, after freezing" to read -process the cylindrical holes '1 wouldbe filled with a low freezing---.

Column 5, line 5 "law" to read low Signed and Scaled this First D FMarch 1977 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH c. MASON c. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer CummiSsiumr nfParenlsand Trademark:

, Patent Noe 5 6u0 07 Page 2 of 2 FiGURE 5

1. A process of storing fresh water in water permeable earth adjacent toa body of salt water which comprises: a. establishing and maintaining athin water impermeable barrier in the earth downward from the level ofthe high point of salt water intrusion over the permeable earth to anon-waterpermeable earth layer and laterally along the shore and uplandfrom the shore to points where the non-water-permeable earth layer is ashigh as the said level; b. extracting the saline water from the bottomportion of the permeable earth on the land side of said barrier anddischarging the extracted saline water to the salt water body side ofthe barrier; c. supplying fresh water to the permeable earth from whichthe saline water is extracted thus replacing the saline water in thepermeable earth with fresh water until the area occupied by the salinewater shoreward from said barrier is filled with fresh water.
 2. Theprocess defined in claim 1 wherein the barrier is formed and maintainedby continuously circulating refrigerant downwardly from the aforesaidlevel through the water permeable earth through a row of closely spacedholes to the non-water-permeable earth layer and lowering thetemperature of the permeable earth between the holes and around themsufficiently to freeze the water in the adjacent permeable earth andkeep it frozen.
 3. The process defined in claim 1 wherein the earth onthe land side of said barrier is raised above the top of the barrier toreduce the loss of fresh water by evaporation.
 4. A process ofcollecting and storing fresh water in a water permeable earth layerwhich is naturally subjected to intrusion of salt water from an adjacentbody of salt water and which layer is underlaid by a non-water-permeablepermeable floor comprising; a. establishing by freezing in situ a thinwater impermeable barrier in the earth layer that is filled with thesalt water, extending said barrier downward from the level of the highpoint of salt water intrusion to the non-water-permeable floor; b.maintaining said barrier in frozen condition by continued extraction ofheat therefrom; c. extracting the salt water from the water permeableearth layer on the inland side of the barrier and discharging it intothe body of salt water; d. supplying to the layer of water permeableearth adequate fresh water to replace the salt water withdrawntherefrom; and e. transferring the heat extracted from said barrier tosalt water withdrawn from said body, vaporizing water from the withdrawnsalt water and condensing the water vapor apart from the salt water tothus enhance the available fresh water.
 5. The process defined in claim4 wherein the heat extracted from the barrier is supplemented by heatgenerated in compressing and condensing a refrigerant which is recycledthrough the barrier and the transferred to salt water taken from saidbody of salt water.
 6. The process defined in claim 1 wherein thebarrier is formed and maintained by freezing in situ a narrow belt ofthe water permeable earth extending from the top of the layer of waterpermeable earth downward to the non-water-permeable floor.